~ Love Is Never Past Tense …

Monthly Archives: August 2016

I’m sharing the proceeds of my book Love Is Never Past Tense with Orphan World Relief, a charitable organization whose name describes its mission. I have helped them before, as keynote speaker at a fundraising event.

This time, with your help, I’m helping them in my role as author. As part of this, OWR Director of Development Mary Malone and I interviewed each other.

To start, here’s Mary interviewing me.

MM: At our fundraising event last fall, you talked about your life and why Orphan World Relief is important to you. Can you give us a brief version of that?

JY: There is a Russian saying: “My cabin sits at the edge of town and I don’t want to know what’s going on there”. This means I don’t want to get involved, leave me alone. But our world doesn’t have an edge, our world is round.

There is another Russian saying: “A fed person doesn’t understand a hungry person” — but we do, don’t we? At least we are trying.When I was presenting the Russian version of my book in Crimea, there was a minister talking about a local orphanage that didn’t have food or clothes. When I got home and started looking for orphan support groups I could help, I found you.

MM: So what are we doing this time?

JY: This time, I am sharing the proceeds from August 25 to August 28 of all versions of my Love Is Never Past Tense with the kids who don’t have parents. The book can be found on Amazon.com and here is the link. http://www.amzn.com/B00CIF3KT8

MM:I read the book and found it very inspirational, especially because it is a real life story. Tell us a little about it.

It’s an old-fashioned love story with an original twist of modern history and intrigue woven in.

JY: Allow me to quote a reader: “It’s an old-fashioned love story with an original twist of modern history and intrigue woven in.” It is part biography, part history, but mostly a second chance romantic adventure. If Doctor Zhivago gives a sample of life at the start of the Soviet era, Love is Never Past Tense offers a look at its closing days.

MM: Where can we find out more?

JY: Do a web search for Love Is Never Past Tense … and you’ll find all sorts of sites. Here are some.

MM: The ebook version of Love Is Never Past Tense became an Amazon Best Seller in its category. Is that what you’re offering?

JY: It was great to see my book sharing the list with War and Peace and Anna Karenina and the ebook version is one of the formats I’m offering. I’m offering the physical books as well because they make good gifts. People buy physical and electronic books for different reasons. All the editions on Amazon are part of the offer.

MM: Do I understand correctly that there are different covers for the book?

JY: Yes, that’s true. For the hard and soft cover books I worked with a designer from Australia. When I got around to publishing the ebook, he had moved to New Zeeland and was working on another project. I was introduced to another designer here, in the United States. Because I published sequels as ebooks, I wanted their covers to have a consistent design. So, now I have different covers on physical and electronic books and I love them both.

Tell Amazon where to ship the book, gift information, and so on. Amazon will take care of shipping and handling. After you’ve enjoyed the book, consider posting a review or comment.

MM: Thank you Janna.

JY: My pleasure. I guess now it’s my turn?

MM: Absolutely!

JY:Tell us about what OWR does.

MM:OWR seeks to be the organization that connects people who are passionate about helping orphans and kids at-risk of becoming orphans with high quality organizations who do that kind of work locally and around the world. With so many charity scams out there right now, we want to take the fear out of donating time and money to help children who need it most.

JY: Does your job call for visiting the orphanages you support?

MM:OWR strives to send volunteers and staff to one of our international programs we support at least every other year. It serves many purposes, including reminding us of how special the kids are we are helping, why helping kids outside of America is just as important as helping kids locally, and ensure the programs are being run ethically.

JY: Do you have a story about the kids you can share?

MM: When I arrived at the orphanage we support in Bolivia last summer, I was immediately drawn to a little 2 year old girl. She was sweet, beautiful, and playful girl. I

Mary and the Young Girl in her story

came to find out that she had only been there for two weeks. She had just gotten out of the hospital because her parents tried to kill her with rat poison because they could not afford to take care of her. She was happy and thriving in the orphanage, and it reminded me how blessed I am and sparked an even bigger passion for these innocent young children who need so much. While orphanages are not the perfect solution, I’m so glad she had a place to go and not only have housing and food, but also to be covered in love by the staff and volunteers.

JY: How many kids do you help?

MM: We have sent out over 100 care kits to foster children in Franklin County since April, and we help hundreds around the world in Bolivia, Honduras, India, Russia, and Ukraine.

JY:What other projects do you have on the calendar?

MM: We have 2 major events, the Superhero 5k Run and our banquet, Hope Changes Everything. The Superhero Run is a partnership with the Hilliard Davidson Band, and the Hope Changes Everything banquet will be November 4 in Hilliard, Ohio.

JY: What else would you like to share with the audience?

MM: We are a small, grass roots organization. However, with the help of volunteers, and many people donating small, manageable amounts of money and time every month, the Central Ohio residents are able to help hundreds of children in need locally and around the world.

Next week August 25 to 28 I will be doing a special event to benefit Orphans in Russia, Ukraine, India and Honduras though Orphan World Relief , a nonprofit Organization to help orphans with their education and health. As part of this I was interviewed by Natasha Johnstone. Below is a repost from her blog.

Natasha Johnstone – Janna Yeshanova

I’m always happy to share books worth reading. It’s even more fun and more exciting when doing that helps the world we live in. That’s why it feels great to support Janna Yeshanova’s latest project. You’ll see more about this in the next couple weeks, but for now, I talk with Janna about her book, her life, and her generous project on helping orphans around the world,by sharing the proceeds from her Amazon book – Love Is Never Past Tense. Mark your calendars from August 25 to 28, 2016 for this awesome event.

I have read and enjoyed your book Love Is Never Past Tense. Tell us how it came to be?

A lot of the book is my life story and true historical events. When I started writing, I didn’t imagine a book. I thought I was writing for my future grandchildren. When the note became a manuscript, I shared it with friends and family. They were very excited and encouraged me to publish it as a book.

What was the most surreal experience for you when you started writing?

A couple of years ago, I flew home after my out of state Conflict Resolution workshop. On my lap, I had a proof copy of the book. I was scanning the lines, double checking for possible flaws. The thought ‘who will read it?’ was following me even in the sky. Doubt was sharing my seat, but opportunity to say goodbye to it was in the seat next to me.

The man in that seat wondered what I was reading. I briefly shared the story and he asked to see the book. He started reading as we took off from Philadelphia and didn’t stop until we landed in Chicago.

Alex was a PhD graduate from Yale. As we parted he handed me his business card and asked me to let him know when the book would be published. He said he wanted to buy it. “No, no, no!” I protested! “I’ll send it to you!” I was so happy that someone wanted to read it. “A man?! Reading a love story?!” was in my head. “Please… No need to buy it! I’ll send it to you!” I heard my voice say.

Months later, I sent him the promised copy. After reading it, he called me and said that he could picture a great movie based on the book. A movie? I hadn’t imagined! The story for my future grandchildren was gaining traction.

Eight months later the Jewish Federation of Omaha Nebraska invited me to present Love Is Never Past Tense to their community. They flew me to Omaha, offered me a great hotel and placed an article with my picture and my biography and the description of the book on the front page of their newspaper! They bought, as far as I remember, two hundred books at once. I was completely blown away!

Why did you leave the former Soviet Union?

Big decisions are easy when you have no choice. The rest? Well, you’ll just have to read Love Is Never Past Tense…

Tell us about your book in 30 seconds

A hot summer romance leads to a hasty marriage, a quick divorce, and years of struggling to survive the fall of the Soviet Union, until the lovers find each other again from opposite sides of the ocean!

Is there an underlying message to your book?

Message yes – underlying not so much. The main message Love Is Never Past Tense is the title itself. The subtext is that anything is possible and you can’t live a full life when love is missing.

I understand you are working on a movie.

Yes, that’s true. Once the book was published, a copy ended up in the hands of a screenwriter. He fell in love with the story, and we have adapted the book into a screenplay for a feature film. Now I’m looking for a producer or a production partner to make that a reality.

What do your readers have in common?

They want real characters with good, exciting stories. They can identify with an Amazon reader’s comment below: “A good romantic novel should entertain, but the best of them will stir the soul. Love Is Never Past Tense rewards the reader by doing both,” and “From one paragraph to the next, you never know what to expect”.

Why does the book have multiple covers?

For the hard and soft cover books I worked with a designer from Australia. When I got around to publishing the ebook, he had moved to New Zealand and was working on another project. I was introduced to another designer here, in the United States. Because I published sequels as ebooks, I wanted their covers to have a consistent design. So, now I have different covers on physical and electronic books and I love them both.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I’m a life coach and leadership trainer. You can find out more about that at http://www.life-spark.com. I love reading, knitting and swimming, walking miles… travelling the world… plus much more. In the personal growth and fun department, I’m taking flying lessons.

What makes you laugh? Is humor helping you?

Everything that is funny. Love jokes from my friends, jokes from my childhood, movies… some funny moments in my life… Sometimes I find humor in events that you can’t take seriously, and if you can see how funny and insignificant they are you can solve your problems easier or just let them go.

Tell us about #LoveIs2Care and how it relates to your book?

From August 25 to 28, I’m sharing the Amazon proceeds of all versions of Love Is Never Past Tense with Orphan World Relief, http://www.orphanworldrelief.org — a charitable organization whose name describes its mission. I have helped them before, as keynote speaker at a fundraising event. This time, with your help, I’m helping them in my role as author. Everything I had ever done (as you’ll read in my book) was out of love, and because I cared about my family and fellow human beings. In my business capacity I help adults all over the world. The #LoveIs2Care campaign is a way for me to help children too. Through my story and those of others, we aspire to bring hope, happiness and light into an otherwise dark and dreary world.

Where can we get more information on the book and buy it to help the orphans?

Do a web search for Love Is Never Past Tense … and you’ll find all sorts of sites! Here are some.

Read what others said about Love Never Past Tense!

Here is one comment that came from director and producer JW Myers:

“The characters are engaging and interesting, and it genuinely hooked me, and kept me interested through the entire read. I really enjoyed it. It’s an old-fashioned love story with an original twist of modern history and intrigue woven in that felt very original to me”.

Here is a comment from a review:

“…I do not generally care for romance novels. Too often, the genre seems to be filled with too much silliness, sweetness, and sentimentality; or with graphic sex lacking emotional context. This book is completely different. It speaks honestly of real adult emotions in real life.”

The rest you can find on Goodreads and Amazon reviews. MY REVIEW: Love is Never Past Tense might seem to some as a historical fiction, but it is SOOOO much more than that! Based on true events, you can’t wait to see what happened next to Janna, only to be left wanting more.

The book unfolds as an old man reminiscences about his first love, whilst doing the UNTHINKABLE! You can’t help but be shocked and appalled. Then, after years apart, the two former lovers reunite. A gripping tale follows, revealing human nature’s true colors in times of depravity, mayhem and struggle. But does their love story continue after all that was said and done? You will have to find out!

The book is well written by the Protagonist, in several catalysts, broken up in several parts, and delivered in several POV’s. The four parts of the book flow effortlessly. The mix of history lessons, teamed with romance, action, mystery and drama, just works! This book gets a well deserved 5 stars and I know that soon this book will qualify to for a Guild Review.

Read more about Janna!

Janna Yeshanova, MA., MEd, ACC, founder of Life-Spark, LLC is a dynamic and powerful life coach and trainer. Compared to the Energizer Bunny by one client, Janna leverages her passion and engaging style to help others spark the possibilities of their lives.

Originally from the former Soviet Union, Janna escaped to the United States when persecution became violent during the crumbling of the Soviet state. Arriving in the United States with her mother and daughter in tow, $126 in her pocket and knowing not a soul, Janna’s talent and experiences have helped her become a premier trainer and personal coach.

While in her former country, Janna acquired her Master’s Degree from Moldova State University and received a national award from the Minister of Professional Education in Moscow for outstanding work with her students. Upon arriving in the United States, she added a second Master’s Degree in Applied Behavioral Science/Organizational Training and Development from Wright State University.

For many years Janna taught and trained Conflict Resolution at Antioch University, McGregor School in Yellow Springs OH. When she and her family moved to Columbus, Columbus State Community College invited her to train at the Center for Workforce Development. At the same time, she consulted for various national and international companies including Navistar International, NCR, Honda of America, Mfg., Standard Register,Lexis-Nexis and COSI. Her clients also include various government agencies and non-profit organizations.

Janna’s energetic, sparkling personality has made her a leader and sought after presenter at various professional organizations. She has been active as a Director of Marketing and later as a Director of Volunteers for ASTD Western Ohio Chapter; Dayton Mediation Center benefited from her skills as a certified mediator; she has been presenting at Toastmasters International as District Conference speaker. She also spoke at the Bosnia and Herzegovina International Peace Conference.

In 2009 and 2010, she took a sabbatical to consult in Russia and the Ukraine and wrote and published a novel that includes some of her biographical data. The English version, Love is Never Past Tense, was published in 2011. To learn more about this book and its sequels, visit http://www.loveisneverpasttense.com Whether coaching or leadership training, Janna helps clients develop critical skills to support happiness and success, personally or professionally.

Love Is Never Past Tense, my old-fashioned second-chance romance story with an original twist of modern history and intrigue woven in, recently became a best seller in its category on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2aOHOpp